Spurs ready to bid for £56m star

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi wants to strengthen his options in the center of the park before the summer transfer window ends.

West Ham United star Matheus Fernandes is one of the club’s high-profile central midfielders after the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League last season.

The Lilywhites have reportedly agreed personal terms with the Portuguese star, but they still need to agree a fee with the Championship side for the £85m-valued talent.

However, Fernandes is not the only midfielder the Premier League side are eyeing for a move, with Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali also said to be interested.

Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that Spurs have a deal in place to bring the Italy international to north London to increase De Zerbi’s midfield options next season.

Tottenham prepare to move Premier League forward

Tonali will emerge as a combative midfielder who doesn’t offer much of a threat in front of goal after failing to score in the top flight last season, but he is an intelligent passer and strong in duels, winning 55 per cent of his physical battles with the Magpies.

However, De Zerbi already has a number of combative midfielders of a similar type, such as Conor Gallagher, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur, who don’t do much at the top end of the pitch.

That’s why the recently reported target, an attacker from a rival Premier League team, could end up being an even better player than Fernandes or Tonali.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Manchester City centre-forward Omar Marmouche in the summer transfer window, according to reports in Italy.

Spurs are keen to sign the Egyptian international and are said to be preparing to make an offer to sign him in the coming days to increase their attacking options.

De Zerbi is a big fan of the former Eintracht Frankfurt striker and is said to be keen to bring the striker to north London before the transfer window closes.

Earlier this summer, it was reported elsewhere that City were seeking a transfer fee of up to £56 million for the forward, who Spanish giants Barcelona also want to sign.

What Omar Marmouche brings to Tottenham Hotspur

As mentioned earlier, Fernandes and Tonali would be better versions of the combative midfielders that De Zerbi already has in his Spurs squad who can break up play and initiate attacks.

However, Tottenham do not have an attacker with the potential to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis to emerge as one of the best forwards in the Premier League.

In the 2025/26 season, Richarlison scored 11 goals and provided four assists in the top flight, making him the only player in the squad to reach double figures for goals and assists.

The lack of consistency and quality in De Zerbi’s attacking line is a cause for concern heading into next season, which is why Marmouche is such a good addition to the team.

The 27-year-old attacker, described as a “maverick” by scout Ben Mattinson last season, scored eight goals and provided three assists in just 1,438 minutes for City, averaging a goal every 130 minutes.

However, his best season came in the 2024/25 season when he played regularly for Frankfurt and City, scoring 28 goals and providing 14 assists in 3,635 minutes.

That season, he contributed a goal on average every 87 minutes between the two clubs, and had 22 goals and nine assists in 33 games across the Premier League and Bundesliga.

Tonali and Fernandes combined for three goals and six assists for Newcastle and West Ham in the Premier League last season, but are unlikely to be game-changers for Spurs at the top end of the pitch.

However, while Marmouche has the makings of an incredibly effective attacker at the top level and has proven himself in both the Bundesliga and Premier League, he struggled to get game time last season as he competed for a place with Erling Haaland.

Spurs could take advantage of their unfortunate situation at the Etihad to bring in a real difference-maker who can earn team points with goals and assists every week, making it an even more impactful signing for De Zerbi than Fernandes or Tonali.